I trust that the first term has been a good one, that your son has settled in quickly and has developed a good routine and that he has made good friends with those around him. In particular I hope that our new boys, mainly in Form I, have found our school a place they can say with great pride that they attend and that they have experienced a sense of belonging and worth.

Academic matters

Please look carefully at your son’s report after this first term. The results are based on a number of shorter tests so be aware that they may be slightly inflated. We are entering the first exam term for the year in the second term so I ask that you prepare your son for this and make sure he plans his time well in the upcoming two months. If he has not done well this first term, please ensure you speak to his teachers at the upcoming Parent-Teacher consultation evenings to plan the way forward.

Admissions 2019

The period for application for admission for Grade 8 2019 opens on 16 April 2018. We urge all those who need to apply for their younger sons to do so as soon as the system opens. Last year we had close to 1600 applications and we do not feel there will be much of a difference this year so please make sure that if you have to apply, you do so on time. The step by step detail on how this process will work is on our website.

SGB Elections

The experiment of having an all-day election seemed to work well with all parents that I spoke to, agreeing that this was a better system of ensuring greater participation in the process. I am extremely grateful to our electoral officer, Mr Andrew Nel from Brooklyn Primary School, who oversaw the day and the administrative staff, Mrs Dodds, Mrs Chapman and Ms Fisher who ensured voting went smoothly.

The names of those who were elected to the SGB have been put on the Communicator and I would like to wish them well for their term of office. The SGB is entitled to co-opt additional parents where expertise is required. They have done that to ensure the school is able to garner maximum support from those who are experts in their field. My thanks go to the outgoing governors for their support and service and I also thank all those who were willing to stand for election to serve the school.

Café Concert

My congratulations go once again to the Music Department and all who helped make the Café Concert the success it was. The quality of performance was superb and our boys and their teachers are to be highly commended for their efforts.

Staff News

Our museum curator and long-time friend and supporter of the school, Mr Keith Gibbs, passed away early in January after a long battle with cancer. Mr Gibbs had direct connection with the school for over 70 years having started here as a scholar in Form I, then teaching on the staff and finally as the curator, a position he held until he died. We will remember this kind and gentle man.

Mr Paul Osborn has been appointed to the curator’s position and has already taken up the responsibility. Mr Osborn is an Old Boy as well and we wish him well for his time back at the school.

Our congratulations went to Mr Ryan Anderson who got engaged early in February; to Mr Wilbert Tenga on the birth of his daughter, Michelle, who was born on 13th February and to Mr Herman de Jong on the birth of his son, Samuel, who was born on 26 February 2018.

Our thanks were given to Mr Wynand Greyling who has been a great help while standing in for Mrs Bianca Nel, who will return to school early next term after her maternity leave.

Estate news

A number of smaller projects were either completed or are under way. The mosaic school badge at the entrance to the school was kindly donated by Mr Gavin Ehlers and made by his wife Marina Ehlers. We are most grateful for this beautiful addition to our school.

The sports department will be moving to a sport-specific set of offices near the gym. Apart from office space for the Head of Sport and the various directors, we will have rooms for a physiotherapist and a biokeneticist to make a real sports hub for the school.

The old music room (or old gymnasium depending on how old you are!) is being restored to its former glory under the guiding hand of our own Mr Paul Ewart-Phipps. This labour of love will take a while but it is hoped that this space can be used as a multi-purpose venue for cultural activities. The restoration of the woodwork both on the floor and the roof beams is a massive project that is part of the exercise.

The trenching in front of the school is being done to improve the lighting in the car park areas and should be completed by the start of next term.

The swimming pools have been a source of frustration this term as old equipment has let us down. The pools have turned “Boys High Green” on a number of occasions and we assure you this is not a clever marketing strategy! We are in the process of replacing part of the filtration system to allow for a greater volume of water to be cleaned. The human traffic in the two pools is significant and we must ensure that our infrastructure can cope with this demand.

I would like to pay tribute to our support staff who keep our facilities in such good shape. Hardly a day goes by without someone commenting on how good the grounds look and how well-kept they are. I am indeed grateful to have the staff we do, who look after our beautiful school.

Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA)

The call for public comment on BELA elicited a response not yet seen before in SA politics. The number of comments received has not been confirmed but it is rumoured to be significant. In fact, the period for debate has been extended to allow for due process to take place. We are not sure when the next round of comments will be called for but for now the process of going through the public response is taking place.

International Boys School Coalition (IBSC)

The school is a member of this coalition of boys’ schools from around the world and I have been nominated to join the board of trustees as one of the two African representatives. This organisation gives valuable support to those working in boys’ schools and their research is most valuable indeed. Last month, our teachers took part in a situational judgement test as part of a 20-school study worldwide and this year we will be looking at research into character education and what it is that makes our school special in this regard. It is always useful to have factual evidence for what is often anecdotal supposition. I shall be attending the annual IBSC international conference in Australia in the July holidays this year and using that trip as an opportunity to engage with Old Boys in that country as well.

Final thoughts

These past few weeks have been difficult for the school as we grappled with the issue of alleged bullying, particularly in boarding. I am only too aware that there are wide-ranging opinions on the matter but it is important to maintain balance and perspective and realise that we are a community of teenage boys.

This community sometimes behaves in a manner that is strange to us as adults. Boys need physical activity and boys love teasing each other. Boys love a challenge, love a dare and often see overcoming a physical obstacle as a rite of passage on the way to manhood. Yet in all of this, there has to be a sense of humanity, justice, kindness and empathy. We have to negotiate through the mass of male-ness and combine that with gentleness.

My final Friday assembly for the term spoke of the legacy I would like to leave the school and the influence I would like to have had. I want our boys to be tough, to be able to take on challenges both physical and emotional. I want them to ride into the sunset on a dusty horse having saved the day! But I also want them to be able to cry and show emotion, to be able to be who they are deep inside, to show compassion for those less strong, to be gentle and to truly understand those around them. Some may say this is not possible – you cannot have toughness with kindness. I disagree and this is the modern man I would like our school to produce. The man who can withstand physical and emotional challenges and walk out stronger yet someone who is acutely aware of others’ needs and rights. We speak often of our boys as Boys High Boys. Perhaps we should be talking more about what the Boys High Man should look like.

I wish all our parents, guardians, boys and their families well over the upcoming holidays. To those celebrating Easter, I wish you a deeply satisfying spiritual experience over this the most important period in the religious year. To you all, I wish health, happiness and safety until we meet again next term.

Kind regards

Tony Reeler

HEADMASTER

Easter Holiday Sporting Activities

The following Easter Festivals will be taking place:

Rugby

1st XV team at Kearsney Easter Festival from 29th March to 2nd April

2nd XV team at Krugersdorp High School Festival from 29th March to 2nd April

U16A team at Jeppe Boys Festival from 29th March to 2nd April

U15A team at Parktown Boys Festival on 28th March, 29th March and 31st March

U14A team at Parktown Boys Festival on 28th March, 29th March and 31st March

Hockey

The 1st team are on tour to Malaysia / Singapore from 25th March to 7th April.

The U16A team will be attending the U16 Nomads festival which takes place at Selborne College from 28th March to 31st March.

The U14A team will take part in the U14 Nomads festival being held at Jeppe Boys from 4th to 9th April.

Tennis

The 1st team will be attending the St Stithians Festival from 29th March to 2nd April.

Squash – three of our boys took part in the SA National Squash championships. Jarrod Cousins U14 ended 4th in SA, Gareth Craigen U16 ended 6th in SA and Zian de Swardt U19 ended 4th in SA.

Ballroom Dancing – Miguel de Oliveira and his partner competed in the 2017 SA Dance Teachers’ Association open championships. In the ballroom category for beginners, they achieved a first place (gold medal).

Sailing – Christiaan Holm competed in the 2017 SA Sailing Youth National Championships in December. He received a silver medal after finishing second in a fleet of 27 entries in the Dabchick class.